e-Team Report, Feb. 23, 2013

APWU President Guffey Urges Support of Postal Bills

This week, APWU President Cliff Guffey called on union members to urge their senators and representatives to co-sponsor H.R. 630 introduced by Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR) in the House, and S. 316 introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the Senate.

Known as the Postal Service Protection Act, “the bills get at the heart of the Postal Service’s financial difficulties,” said Legislative & Political Director Myke Reid.  If adopted the act would:

• Fix the Postal Service’s immediate financial crisis by ending the mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund healthcare benefits for future retirees — a burden no other government agency or private company bears; 
• Allow the Postal Service to recover overpayments the USPS made to federal pension plans; 
• Re-establish overnight delivery standards for first-class mail, which would ensure the timely delivery of mail, help keep mail processing facilities open, and protect jobs; 
• Protect six-day delivery; 
• Allow the USPS to develop new products and services that would generate new sources of revenue; and 
• Give the Postal Regulatory Commission authority to prevent post office closures based on effects to the community and employees.

H.R. 630 and S. 316, which currently has eight co-sponsors in the Senate, includes provisions considered crucial for postal reform.  In the March-April issue of The American Postal Workermagazine, Reid points out principles for effective postal legislation.

For more on Director Myke Reid’s principles for postal legislation, please click here.

Tell Your Senators and House Representative To Co-Sponsor Postal Reform Bill

To contact your members of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 630 in the House and S. 316 in the Senate by e-mail, please click here. To contact your members of Congress by phone, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.  To send a letter to your U.S. representative, write him or her at: The Honorable [Name], U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. To send a letter to your U.S. senators, write them at: The Honorable [Name], U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.